Conservation

Conservation

The coelacanth is protected from international trade by its listing on Appendix I of the Convention on International Trade in Endangered Species (CITES) (1). Fishermen of the Grand Comoro Island have also imposed a voluntary ban on fishing in areas where coelacanths (or 'gombessa' as they are known locally) exist (5), in a vital effort to save their country's most unique fauna. The Coelacanth Rescue Mission is also distributing Deep Release Kits to local fishermen, which provide an effective method of returning accidentally caught fish to their deep habitat (3). There have recently been encouraging signs that the Comoros population is now stable (5), although careful monitoring will be needed to ensure this living fossil survives into the next millennium.